Get ready Australia, the increasing popular V8 Supercar Series and the Worlds greatest motorsport festival kicks of this thursday in Adelaide (Australia's home of motorsport) for 4 fantastic days of motorsport and non-stop entertainment. With the world renowned Adelaide Fringe & Adelaide Festival of Arts done & dusted for another two years, the excitement is now building up for this world-class event "Clipsal 500"!!!!!

The Clipsal 500 won its second "Australia's No.1 Major Event" award at the Australia Tourism Awards this year and got into the V8 Supercar Series Hall of Fame. Another thing what has made the Clipsal 500 world renowned is its world famous street circurt what was used by successful former Adelaide Grand Prix, what could end up back in Adelaide in a few years time...

From todays Adelaide newspaper "The Advertiser"

Revved up to eclipse ticket records
By BRYAN LITTLELY
21mar06
A RECORD crowd is tipped for this week's Clipsal 500, with race organisers yesterday boasting the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne has had no effect on ticket sales.

Clipsal 500 chief executive Andrew Daniels said ticket sales, on average, were up 10 per cent. Depending on weather conditions, he forecasted a record crowd of 270,000 for the four-day event.

Popular concerts - from bands, including Silverchair and Grinspoon - along with two new grandstands, have boosted sales.

Mr Daniels said expectation the Commonwealth Games - to finish on Sunday - had impacted on sales were wrong.

Ticket purchases in all areas - grandstand seating, corporate facilities and general admission - had increased, he said.

Trackside corporate facilities this year will host at least an extra 4000 guests - with about 46,000 already booked - and interstate tourism numbers are also up.

Wholesale travel packages, booked mainly by Victorians, have topped 2000.

Clipsal 500 public relations manager Mike Drewer said road closures around the Victoria Park circuit yesterday slowed traffic but it had gone smoothly.

"Most people are relatively accustomed to the road closures by now and they know how to avoid this part of the city so things run smoothly," he said.

Mr Drewer said good weather leading up to the motorsport festival - starting at Victoria Park on Thursday - had meant building the track infrastructure was ahead of schedule.

The first of the V8 Supercar team transporter trucks arrive at the track today, with the cars to be unloaded tomorrow for the noon street parade to Adelaide Town Hall.

Many of the drivers will be in Rundle Mall for an autograph session from 1 pm to 3 pm.

I'm coming over for it !
Told ya I would !
Arriving at your lovely airport on Friday morning, leaving Sunday nite.
Gonna be a great weekend.
Weather looks nice, a bit warm though. 32 on Friday, 30 on Sat, not sure about Sun.

Anyone on Optus Mobile in the Adelaide CBD right now... look at your phone.

the mobile basestation should read "V8sShake SA" and "V8 Action"

LOL nice one!

I can hear them roaring from my office right now.. choppers are flying past as we speak.

^^
Lol. It's cool when the phone carriers do that. :) I remember when Vodafone had "GO CROCS" on our phones in Townsville when they made the NBL GF.

Should be a good weekend in ADL. The Clipsal is always a fantastic race. GO HOLDEN!! :D

Gonna be a great race again this year, like it always is, easily the best race of the year, no other race provides the thrills and spills of this street circuit, I'm jealous Melbourne doesn't have a race like it, we get the F1's and all, but having the V8 buzz around Albert Park is good and all, but it's a short circuit, and in the past they have not raced for championship points.

Wonder if they will break the records again this year at the 500? The most attended race meet of the year, it's more than a car race, its a festival!

I'm typing this from an internet cafe in Rundle St ( 11.15am ).
Just finished a great morning at the track. Heaps of people around, very warm, lots of chicks, lots of fun !

Wonder if they will break the records again this year at the 500? The most attended race meet of the year, it's more than a car race, its a festival!


They've hit a new record 4000 more tickets sold than last year. Still have the weekend to go. :)

I can't hear any v8's at the moment hooning, they're most likely on a break, but the choppers are out again.

There's 15,000 more corporate seats at the Clipsal vs Melbourne's stupid F1 GP !!!!!

I'm sorry Melbourne took your GP, but I take offense on naming a Formula One Grand Prix "stupid". The current Melbourne track supposedly has great atmosphere, but really from a racing fan's perspective, overtaking is rare, straights too short for real maneuvers.

They've hit a new record 4000 more tickets sold than last year. Still have the weekend to go.

They make new records every year at the Clipsal! I think the past 5 years, each year has eclipsed the previous year in attendances.

Mark Skaife on Pole position!! Thats what i like to hear!! :D

another record breaking day: From todays Adelaide's newspaper "The Advertiser"

FAST AND FURIOUS
This city is revved and rockin'
By BRYAN LITTLELY
25mar06
THE fury and fumes of V8 Supercar racing drew a record crowd of more than 65,000 to the second day of Clipsal 500 yesterday.

Publicity manager Mike Drewer said an increase in the number of travel packages sold to Victorian fans had helped boost attendances, despite the race carnival clashing with the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

"I think a lot of people are escaping the Games - V8 Supercars are a lot more exciting," Mr Drewer said. "That is all good for South Australia's economy."

With general admission tickets still available for the weekend and the weather peaking at a glorious 33C, some racegoers strolled in on a whim.

The official attendance figure, before last night's silverchair concert, was 65,300 - compared with 56,800 for the same day last year.

Yesterday's racing delivered thrills and spills in both the support events and among the big guns of V8 Supercar fame.

While Holden Racing Team's number one driver Mark Skaife basked in the glory of earning the front spot on the start line for today's 250km race, Ford Performance racing driver Jason Bright was counting the cost of a high-speed clash with the wall at the notorious turn 8.

Bright emerged uninjured from the practice session crash but his car was not so lucky.

Repair crews worked frantically on the machine last night to replace the entire left side of the vehicle, the engine, three wheels and the fuel tank, among other components.

St John volunteers treated more than 170 people throughout the day, many for dehydration and heat stress.

Racegoers attending today's event, with a forecast again of 33C, have been urged to wear a hat, sunscreen and drink lots of water.



Holden r going to kick ass this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mmm, Ford won yesterday. but were going to kick ass 2day (well I hope so)

btw did anyone go to the Clipsal 500 today???

They make new records every year at the Clipsal! I think the past 5 years, each year has eclipsed the previous year in attendances.

Every year it just gets bigger and bigger. :cheers:

Its getting international recognition now.
The organisers are now talking about upgrades to the track. Bigger stands, more facilities.

Good.
Its so cool having all the events of Adelaide in March. Bye Bye March now :(

Its getting international recognition now.
The organisers are now talking about upgrades to the track. Bigger stands, more facilities.


I thought they said that were going to do all that for this years clipsal 500

No, there is a proposal to upgrade Victoria Park racecourse.
Thats where the pits and main straight are located.

What the 500 organisers are saying now though, is that they are reaching capacity and will need to add more stands and such to cope next year and beyond. As in, those temporary stands they erect around the track. Different thing to the above.


Some people dont want it to go ahead though, as they see it as destroying the parklands or some other nonsense. But its those same people, who will be the first to complain and blame the government, if the Clipsal 500 suffers or is scrapped. Not likely, but still.

Call them nimbys if you like.

The race was great! Exactly why I love the Clipsal the most out of any V8 race, it's the most unpredicable and spectacular race all year, who would have guessed those results! 1 + 2 to Ford, Holden have there chance to get back this weekend at the non-championship points round at Albert Park. Poor Skaiffey, the first accident he had on Saturday was his own stupid fault, but the second one on Sunday, that was tough. Oh well, that's motor racing for you.